WASHINGTON — The Senate has passed legislation to beef up security for Supreme Court justices.

Lawmakers are seeking to ensure that justices and their families are protected as the court deliberates abortion access and whether to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.

The bipartisan bill passed by voice vote with no objections Monday.

While it doesn't provide additional funding, that could come later.

The measure aims to put the court on par with the executive and legislative branches, making certain the nine justices are provided security as some protesters have gathered outside their homes.

The legislation comes one week after Politico leaked a draft of a Supreme Court opinion that indicated Roe v. Wade would be overturned as soon as June.

The bill now moves to the House for its consideration before heading to President Joe Biden’s desk.

RODANTHE, N.C. — The National Park Service says two beach houses have fallen into the waves along North Carolina's coast. The homes, which were unoccupied when they fell into the ocean, were located along Ocean Drive in the Outer Banks community of Rodanthe.

The park service confirmed the collapses on Tuesday and has closed off the areas around the fallen structures. Debris from the first fallen house has spread widely. Officials from the Cape Hatteras National Seashore say they'll be working closely with the homeowner to coordinate cleanup activities. This is the third time a Rodanthe home has fallen into the surf this year.

“Unfortunately, there may be more houses that collapse onto Seashore beaches in the near future,” David Hallac, superintendent of National Parks of Eastern North Carolina, said in a statement obtained by the Associated Press. “We proactively reached out to homeowners along Ocean Drive in Rodanthe after the first house collapse and recommended that actions be taken to prevent collapse and impacts to Cape Hatteras National Seashore.”

The coast of North Carolina is almost entirely made up of narrow, low-lying barrier islands. Hatteras Island is part of what’s known as the Outer Banks.

The White House says that President Joe Biden will formally call on Congress to "take action" in keeping "weapons of war" off of streets and "keep guns out of the hands of criminals and people who have serious mental illness."

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre made the comments aboard Air Force One to the press as the president traveled to Buffalo, New York on Tuesday to visit the area of a mass shooting there at a supermarket called Tops Market.

As the Associated Press reported, the shooter, Payton Gendron, was described as a quiet, socially awkward student. He once reportedly threatened a murder-suicide while at school and was put under a mental evaluation, then released later the next day when investigators are said to have stopped looking into the matter as serious.

Gendron is accused of shooting and killing 10 people at the Buffalo supermarket. Most of the victims were said to be in their 50s or older. Investigators described the attack as  “racially motivated violent extremism.”

“It is my sincere hope that this individual, this white supremacist who just perpetrated a hate crime on an innocent community, will spend the rest of his days behind bars. And heaven help him in the next world as well,” said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Gendron shot 11 Black people and two white people before he surrendered to police.

The $40 billion U.S. package of assistance for Ukraine as it tries to fend off Russia's aggression is hitching a ride on a commercial flight to South Korea so it can be signed by President Joe Biden.

The Senate voted Thursday to finalize new military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine as Biden was making his way to the South Korean capital. A White House official says the bill is being flown to Seoul by a U.S. government official who was already planning to travel to the region on a commercial flight.

As the Associated Press reported, bills that have needed an urgent signature have been routinely flown by White House aides for decades to the location of the sitting president, if they were abroad.

Then-President George W. Bush flew back to Washington from his Texas ranch to in 2005 to sign legislation that would require doctors to continue feeding a comatose Florida woman, Terri Schiavo. Her husband wanted to let her die.

Puerto Rico's Comptroller Office has released a report saying the island's Senate made nearly $30,000 worth of "extravagant, excessive and unnecessary" purchases from 2013 to 2020.

The report released on Wednesday comes as the U.S. territory tries to emerge from the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history and remains under the eye of a federal control board overseeing the island's finances. The report found that the items bought included a $2,545 sofa, two chandeliers worth $1,200 each, three chairs valued at $675 each, two laptops worth more than $9,000, and an $870 console table.

In addition, $8,200 was spent to buy 225 red shirts for a 2015 sporting event that already included official shirts, the report said.

“This expense turned out to be unnecessary because it was of no use to the public,” the report said.

A man was arrested Wednesday after allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at officers in Washington, D.C.

U.S Capitol Police said they were alerted to the man Wednesday afternoon. The officers said the suspect was trying to light the Molotov cocktail when he threw it at them and tried to get away. However, the officers managed to stop him.

“Both of our officers were treated for minor injuries. Thankfully they are going to be OK,” said acting Assistant Chief of Police for Uniformed Operations Sean Gallagher.

The man also had an explosive device made with a tequila bottle and a petroleum-based accelerant, police said.

It's unclear what the man was planning to do with the Molotov cocktails, but police said there's no indication he was targeting the U.S. Capitol or members of Congress.

He's facing charges of assault on a police officer, possession of a Molotov cocktail and assault with a deadly weapon.

Four people were taken to Washington area hospitals with life-threatening injuries after lightning struck near the White House amid a strong storm that blew through the U.S. capital.

On Friday morning, officials confirmed James Mueller, 76 & Donna Mueller, 75, died from the lightning strikes.

The U.S. Secret Service, along with U.S. Park Police, rushed to help two females and two males after seeing a large bolt of lightning strike an area in Lafayette Square, according to Vito Maggiolo, who is a public information officer for D.C. Fire and EMS who spoke to NBC Washington.

The area is just across from the White House, within a short walking distance. Authorities could not give exact injuries or an update on the victim's statuses as of late Thursday night.

As NBC Washington reported, a witness named David Root said he was "in a state of shock." He said, "I just couldn't believe it. Was surreal. I have never seen anything like this in my entire life.”

Root described hearing "a horrific boom" and said he goes to Lafayette Square park in the evening to show support for the people of Ukraine.

A camera trained on the White House used by television stations captured the moment the bolt of lightning hit the area.

Mike Thomas, a meteorologist in Washington, said the bolt "clearly hits either the ground or [a] nearby tree" because sparks are visible in the video.

The White House responded to Thursday's incident.

"We are saddened by the tragic loss of life after the lightning strike in Lafayette Park. Our hearts are with the families who lost loved ones, and we are praying for those still fighting for their lives," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

Maggiolo told the New York Times that “Trees of course, are not safe places” during storms. Lafayette Square is covered in shade trees located in downtown D.C. in an area near tourist attractions, hotels, restaurants and bars.

The strike happened around 6:50 p.m. local time, where the two men and two women were located, in an area across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House in Lafayette Square, in their “immediate vicinity," Maggiolo said.

The CDC says about 90% of people survive lightning strikes, and the odds of being struck by lightning in any given year is less than one in a million.

BEIJING (AP) — China said Monday it is extending threatening military exercises surrounding Taiwan that have disrupted shipping and air traffic and substantially raised concerns about the potential for conflict in a region crucial to global trade.

The announcement further increases uncertainty in the crisis that developed last week with U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan.

The exercises will include anti-submarine drills, apparently targeting U.S. support for Taiwan in the event of a potential Chinese invasion, according to social media posts from the eastern leadership of China's ruling Communist Party's military arm, the People's Liberation Army.

China claims Taiwan as its own territory and its leader, Xi Jinping, has focused on bringing the self-governing island democracy under the mainland's control, by force if necessary. The two sides split in 1949 after a civil war, but Beijing considers visits to Taiwan by foreign officials as recognizing its sovereignty.

Xi is seeking a third term as Communist Party leader later this year. His control over the armed forces and what he has defined as China's "core interests" — including Taiwan, territorial claims in the South China Sea and historic adversary Japan — are key to maintaining his nationalist credentials.

The military has said the exercises, involving missile strikes, warplanes and ship movements crossing the midline of the Taiwan Strait dividing the sides, are a response to Pelosi's visit.

China has ignored calls to calm the tensions, and there was no immediate indication of when it would end what amounts to a blockade.

On Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said China would "firmly safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, resolutely deter the U.S. from containing China with the Taiwan issue and resolutely shatter the Taiwan authorities' illusion of "relying on the U.S. for independence."

Asked in Dover, Delaware, on Monday about China's response to Pelosi's visit, U.S. President Joe Biden said: "I'm not worried, but I'm concerned they're moving as much as they are. But I don't think they're going to do anything more than they are."

China's slowing economic growth, which has reduced options among migrant workers as well as college graduates, has raised the specter of social unrest. The party has maintained its power through total control of the press and social media, along with suppression of political opponents, independent lawyers and activists working on issues from online free speech to LGBTQ rights.

China doesn't allow public opinion polls, and popular opinion is hard to judge. However, it generally skews in favor of the government and its efforts to restore China's former dominant role in the region that puts it in conflict with the United States and its allies, including Japan and Australia.

Taiwan's defense ministry said Sunday it detected a total of 66 aircraft and 14 warships conducting the naval and air exercises. The island has responded by putting its military on alert and deploying ships, planes and other assets to monitor Chinese aircraft, ships and drones that are "simulating attacks on the island of Taiwan and our ships at sea."

Meanwhile, Taiwan's official Central News Agency reported that Taiwan's army will conduct live-fire artillery drills in southern Pingtung county on Tuesday and Thursday, in response to the Chinese exercises.

The drills will include snipers, combat vehicles, armored vehicles as well as attack helicopters, said the report, which cited an anonymous source.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has called on the international community to "support democratic Taiwan" and "halt any escalation of the regional security situation." The Group of Seven industrialized nations has also criticized China's actions, prompting Beijing to cancel a meeting between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Japanese counterpart, Yoshimasa Hayashi.

China has cut off defense and climate talks with the U.S. and imposed sanctions on Pelosi in retaliation for her visit.

In Washington, Taiwanese de facto ambassador Bi-khim Hsiao said China had no reason to "be so furious" over Pelosi's visit, which follows a long tradition of American lawmakers visiting Taiwan.

"Well, you know, we have been living under the threat from China for decades," Hsiao told CBS News on Sunday. "If you have a kid being bullied at school, you don't say you don't go to school. You try to find a way to deal with the bully.

Colin Kahl, the U.S. under secretary of defense for policy, told reporters Monday that Beijing's reaction to Pelosi's visit was a "manufactured crisis," noting that the U.S. policy toward Taiwan and China remains unchanged and that Congress is an independent body of government.

"Clearly, the PRC is trying to coerce Taiwan, clearly they're trying to coerce the international community. And all I say is, we're not going to take the bait and it's not going to work," he said.

He said U.S. forces in the region would continue to operate, fly and sail wherever is permitted under international law, including the Taiwan Strait.

On a visit to Myanmar, whose Chinese-backed military government has been accused of murdering its opponents, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Washington was "taking the opportunity to build up its military deployment in the region, which deserves high vigilance and resolute boycott from all sides."

"China's firm stance" is aimed at "earnestly safeguarding peace across the Taiwan Strait and regional stability," Wang was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency.

Meanwhile, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong called for a cooling of tensions. "Australia continues to urge restraint, Australia continues to urge deescalation, and this is not something that solely Australia is calling for, and the whole region is concerned about the current situation, the whole region is calling for stability to be restored," Wong told reporters in Canberra.

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Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim in Dover, Delaware, and Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) executed a search warrant on Monday at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida while investigating the handling of presidential documents.

As CNN reported, the former president was not in Florida when the FBI search warrant was executed. Axios reported that Trump was in New York City at the time.

Trump said his Florida residence and resort was "raided" by FBI agents. Trump released the statement on Monday, writing that his "beautiful home" was "currently under siege."

Agents seemed to be focused on an area of the club where Trump's personal residence and offices are located, according to CNN, citing a source familiar with the situation.

Trump released a statement on his Truth Social platform, writing, "After working and cooperating with the relevant government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate."

It wasn't immediately clear what the specific reason for the FBI raid was or what specific part of an investigation it was connected to.

Trump wrote in his statement, "Nothing like this has ever happened to a president of the United States before," he said.

CNN reported that the FBI executed a search warrant at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, located in Palm Beach, Florida.

If fully confirmed, the move will signal that the Department of Justice's investigation into the Jan. 6 insurrection is honing in on Trump himself.

Trump claimed that agents broke open a safe, which, if accurate as the New York Times reported, would be one of the biggest escalations in the multiple investigations into the former president.

Bloomberg reported that the White House has referred questions about the raid to the Department of Justice.

U.S. President Joe Biden has renewed calls for the safe return of American Journalist Austin Tice who went missing in Syria over a decade ago.

On Wednesday Biden urged leaders in Damascus to help secure the repatriation of Tice as pressure continues to increase on the White House by families of hostages and detainees, Reuters reported.

Biden said that the U.S. government knows now "with certainty" that the U.S. journalist has been held by the Syrian government and called on the Syrian government to release him after 10 years in captivity, CNN reported.

Biden said, "We know with certainty that he has been held by the Syrian regime." The president said, "We have repeatedly asked the government of Syria to work with us so that we can bring Austin home."

Biden urged movement on the case for Tice's family, saying, "On the tenth anniversary of his abduction, I am calling on Syria to end this and help us bring him home." He said, "Tice family deserves answers, and more importantly, they deserve to be swiftly reunited with Austin."
 
According to CNN, the Syrian government and leader Bashar al-Assad, have not publicly acknowledged that Tice is being detained there.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Wednesday, "Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens will continue to engage with the Syrian government in close coordination with the White House, Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell, and our team here at the State Department."

Carstens secretly traveled to Damascus to meet with government officials there in 2020 while under then president Donald Trump. Then in May, he met with a top Lebanese security official in Washington to "discuss US citizens who are missing or detained in Syria." 

A top priority for the Tice family and U.S. officials is to continue to engage with the Syrian government and keep that engagement sustained.

WASHINGTON (AP) — With inflation raging near its highest level in four decades, Congress is poised to approve President Joe Biden's signature Inflation Reduction Act. Its title raises a tantalizing question: Will the measure actually tame the price spikes that have inflicted hardships on American households?

Economic analyses of the proposal suggest that the answer is likely no — not anytime soon, anyway.

The legislation, which is headed for final approval Friday in the House and will then be signed into law, won't directly address some of the main drivers of surging prices — from gas and food to rents and restaurant meals.

Still, the bill could save money for some Americans by lessening the cost of prescription drugs for the elderly, extending health insurance subsidies and reducing energy prices. It would also modestly cut the government's budget deficit, which might slightly lower inflation by the end of this decade.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office concluded last week that the changes would have a "negligible" impact on inflation this year and next. And the University of Pennsylvania's Penn Wharton Budget Model concluded that, over the next decade, "the impact on inflation is statistically indistinguishable from zero."

Such forecasts also undercut the arguments that some Republicans, such as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy have made, that the bill would "cause inflation," as McCarthy said in a speech on the House floor last month.

Biden himself, in speaking of the legislation's effect on inflation, has cautiously referred to potentially lower prices in individual categories rather than to lower inflation as a whole. This week, the president said the bill would "bring down the cost of prescription drugs, health insurance premiums and energy costs."

At the same time, the White House has trumpeted a letter signed by more than 120 economists, including several Novel Prize winners and former Treasury secretaries, that asserts that the bill's reduction in the government's budget deficit — by an estimated $300 billion over the next decade, according to the CBO — would put "downward pressure on inflation."

In theory, lower deficits can reduce inflation. That's because lower government spending or higher taxes, which help shrink the deficit, reduce demand in the economy, thereby easing pressure on companies to raise prices.

Jason Furman, a Harvard economist who served as a top economic adviser in the Obama administration, wrote in an opinion column for The Wall Street Journal: "Deficit reduction is almost always inflation-reducing."

Yet Douglas Holtz-Eakin, who was a top economic adviser to President George W. Bush and later a director of the CBO, noted that the lower deficits won't kick in until five years from now and won't be very large over the next decade considering the size of the economy.

"$30 billion a year in a $21 trillion economy isn't going to move the needle," Holtz-Eakin said, referring to the estimated amount of deficit reduction spread over 10 years.

He also noted that Congress has recently passed other legislation to subsidize semiconductor production in the U.S. and expand veterans' health care, and suggested that those laws will spend more than the Inflation Reduction Act will save.

In addition, Kent Smetters, director of the Penn Wharton Budget Model, said the bill's health care subsidies could send inflation up. The legislation would spend $70 billion over a decade to extend tax credits to help 13 million Americans pay for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

Those subsidies would free up money for recipients to spend elsewhere, potentially increasing inflation, although Smetters said he thought the effect would likely be very small.

While the bill could have the benefit of increasing the savings of millions of households on pharmaceutical and energy costs, it's unlikely to have much effect on overall inflation. Prescription drugs account for only 1% of the spending in the U.S. consumer price index; spending on electricity and natural gas makes up just 3.6%.

Starting in 2025, the act will cap the amount Medicare recipients would pay for their prescription drugs at $2,000 a year. It will authorize Medicare to negotiate the cost of some high-priced pharmaceuticals — a long-sought goal that President Donald Trump had also floated. It would also limit Medicare recipients' out-of-pocket costs for insulin at $35 a month. Insulin prescriptions averaged $54 in 2020, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

"This is a historic change," said Leigh Purvis, director of health care costs at the AARP Public Policy Institute. "This is allowing Medicare to protect beneficiaries from high drug prices in a way that was not there before."

A study by Kaiser found that in 2019, 1.2 million Medicare recipients spent an average of $3,216 on drug prescriptions. Purvis said recipients who use the most expensive drugs can spend as much as $10,000 or $15,000 a year.

The legislation authorizes Medicare to negotiate prices of 10 expensive pharmaceuticals, starting next year, though the results won't take effect until 2026. Up to 60 drugs could be subject to negotiation by 2029.

Holtz-Eakin argued that while the provision may lower the cost of some Medicare drugs, it would discourage the development of new drugs or reduce new venture capital investment in start-up pharmaceutical companies.

The Inflation Reduction Act's energy provisions could also create savings, though the amounts are likely to be much smaller.

The bill will provide a $7,500 tax credit for new purchases of electric vehicles, though most EVs won't qualify because the legislation requires them to include batteries with U.S. materials.

And the legislation also significantly expands a tax credit for homeowners who invest in energy-efficient equipment, from a one-time $500 credit to $1,200 that a homeowner could claim each year. Vincent Barnes, senior vice president for policy at the Alliance to Save Energy, said this would allow homeowners to make new energy-efficient investments over several years.

But for all Americans, including those who aren't homeowners, the impact will likely be limited. The Rhodium Group estimates that by 2030 the bill's provisions will save households an average of up to $112 a year as gas and electricity becomes cheaper as more Americans drive EVs and houses become more energy- efficient.

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Democrat Mary Peltola won the special election for Alaska's only U.S. House seat on Wednesday, besting a field that included Republican Sarah Palin, who was seeking a political comeback in the state where she was once governor.

Peltola, who is Yup'ik and turned 49 on Wednesday, will become the first Alaska Native to serve in the House and the first woman to hold the seat. She will serve the remaining months of the late Republican U.S. Rep. Don Young's term. Young held the seat for 49 years before his death in March.

"I'm honored and humbled by the support I have received from across Alaska," Peltola said in a statement. "I look forward to continuing Don Young's legacy of bipartisanship, serving all Alaskans and building support for Alaska's interests in DC."

Peltola's victory, coming in Alaska's first statewide ranked choice voting election, is a boon for Democrats, particularly coming off better-than-expected performances in special elections around the country this year following the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade. She will be the first Democrat to hold the seat since the late U.S. Rep. Nick Begich, who was seeking reelection in 1972 when his plane disappeared. Begich was later declared dead and Young in 1973 was elected to the seat.

Peltola ran as a coalition builder while her two Republican opponents — Palin and Begich's grandson, also named Nick Begich — at times went after each other. Palin also railed against the ranked voting system, which was instituted by Alaska voters.

All three are candidates in the November general election, seeking a two-year House term, which would start in January.

The results came 15 days after the Aug. 16 election, in line with the deadline for state elections officials to receive absentee ballots mailed from outside the U.S. Ranked choice tabulations took place Wednesday after no candidate won more than 50% of the first choice votes. Peltola was in the lead heading into the tabulations.

Wednesday's results were a disappointment for Palin, who was looking to make a political comeback 14 years after she was vaulted onto the national stage when John McCain selected her to be his running mate in the 2008 presidential election. In her run for the House seat, she had widespread name recognition and won the endorsement of former President Donald Trump.

After Peltola's victory was announced, Palin slammed the ranked voting process as "crazy, convoluted, confusing."

"Though we're disappointed in this outcome, Alaskans know I'm the last one who'll ever retreat," Palin said in a statement.

During the campaign, critics questioned Palin's commitment to Alaska, citing her decision to resign as governor in July 2009, partway through her term. Palin went on to become a conservative commentator on TV and appeared in reality television programs, among other pursuits.

Palin has insisted her commitment to Alaska never wavered and said ahead of the special election that she had "signed up for the long haul."

Peltola, a former state lawmaker who most recently worked for a commission whose goal is to rebuild salmon resources on the Kuskokwim River, cast herself as a "regular" Alaskan. "I'm not a millionaire. I'm not an international celebrity," she said.

Peltola has said she was hopeful that the new system would allow more moderate candidates to be elected.

During the campaign, she emphasized her support of abortion rights and said she wanted to elevate issues of ocean productivity and food security. Peltola said she got a boost after the June special primary when she won endorsements from Democrats and independents who had been in the race. She said she believed her positive messaging also resonated with voters.

"It's been very attractive to a lot of people to have a message of working together and positivity and holding each other up and unity and as Americans none of us are each other's enemy," she said. "That is just a message that people really need to hear right now."

Alaska voters in 2020 approved an elections process that replaced party primaries with open primaries. Under the new system, ranked voting is used in general elections.

Under ranked voting, ballots are counted in rounds. A candidate can win outright with more than 50% of the vote in the first round. If no one hits that threshold, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. Voters who chose that candidate as their top pick have their votes count for their next choice. Rounds continue until two candidates remain, and whoever has the most votes wins.

In Alaska, voters last backed a Democrat for president in 1964. But the state also has a history of rewarding candidates with an independent streak. The state has more registered unaffiliated voters than registered Republicans or Democrats combined.

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Follow AP coverage of 2022 Midterm Elections: https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections

WASHINGTON (AP) — A gold judicial collar made of glass beads that belonged to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is being auctioned to benefit a charity, the first time any of the her signature neckwear will be available for purchase.

The piece is part of a collection of about 100 items being sold in an online auction that begins Wednesday. It concludes Sept. 16, just days before the two-year anniversary of the liberal icon's death at 87.

In addition to the collar, the items being auctioned include a pair of Ginsburg's opera glasses, a wooden gavel and artwork that hung in her Washington apartment.

There are quirky items too. Her son, James, said in an interview that in talking about the collection "it's hard not to mention about the cake topper. " The fondant sculpture was commissioned by friends for one of the justice's birthdays and depicts her standing in a judicial robe with her arms outstretched on the bow of a battleship dubbed "The Notorious RBG," the justice's nickname. Ginsburg said it reminds him a little bit of a scene from the movie "Titanic."

The auction also includes other Ginsburg fashion pieces: a white handbag, a shawl, scarves and two sets of fishnet lace gloves. She began wearing gloves in the the late 1990s after undergoing colon cancer treatment. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the Supreme Court's first female justice, suggested them as a way to prevent illness while shaking hands, but Ginsburg liked gloves so much she just kept wearing them.

But it was Ginsburg's collars — which she wore on the bench as an accessory to her black robe — that were her most notable fashion item. She had dozens, her son and daughter-in-law said. The family donated several to the Smithsonian, including a sparkly black one she wore on the bench when she dissented in a case. Speaking at an event in 2020, Ginsburg — who became a pop culture figure in later years — said that at the time she was getting a collar "at least once a week" from fans worldwide.

The auction had initially been planned to include two of Ginsburg's collars. The other, made of fabric, was a gift from her law clerks. Stitched inside is a family motto: "It's not sacrifice, it's family." But the family said in a statement Tuesday that they had decided to keep the collar and permanently loan it to "an appropriate institution where it can be displayed for all to see." The family did not provide additional details.

The auction is the third this year of items owned by the justice, and her son said that it will be the last. In April, some 150 items — including art Ginsburg displayed in her home and office — raised more than $800,000 for Washington National Opera, one of the late justice's passions.

Bonhams, which is conducting the latest auction, estimated the current group of objects as selling for a total of just under $50,000. In January, however, an online auction of her books also conducted by Bonhams brought in $2.3 million, almost 30 times the pre-sale estimate.

Bonhams said it expects the collar to sell for $3,000 to $5,000. In the earlier book auction, however, a copy of the Harvard Law Review from 1957-58 with Ginsburg's annotations sold for more than $100,000, shattering Bonhams' estimate of $2,500 to $3,500.

Proceeds from the current sale will fund an endowment in Ginsburg's honor benefitting SOS Children's Villages, a organization that supports vulnerable children around the world. Ginsburg's daughter-in-law, Patrice Michaels, is on the organization's advisory board. Michaels, a composer and singer, said the gavel being auctioned is one Ginsburg gave her to use while performing a composition she had written about Ginsburg's dissents. The gold beaded collar was also one she chose from Ginsburg's collection.

"I thought it was just literally so beautiful," Michaels said. "The aesthetic of it and the feel of it being as elegant as my mother-in-law was appealed to me very much."

A U.S. appeals court decided on Friday to temporarily block President Joe Biden's plan to forgive and cancel billions of dollars in student loans.

Reuters reported the appeals court made the move temporary as various parties worked to allow the scheme to progress while others work to block it.

Biden made the announcement in recent months that his administration planned to work to forgive at least $10,000 in federal loans for eligible borrowers. It was a version of a campaign promise that the president has worked to see carried out.

As the Associated Press reported, A federal judge on Thursday dismissed an effort by multiple Republican-led states to block the president's student loan forgiveness plan, relieving debt for tens of millions of student loan borrowers.

U.S. District Judge Henry Autrey in St. Louis said because the six states, including Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas and South Carolina, all failed to establish a standing, Autrey said, “the Court lacks jurisdiction to hear this case.”

Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson's office said states will appeal. A statement said the states "continue to believe that they do, in fact, have standing to raise their important legal challenges.”

WASHINGTON —

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Thursday that the central bank may have to tighten its oversight of the American financial system in the wake of the failure of three large U.S. banks this spring.

Related video above: Analyst discusses what lies ahead in the market as fed pauses rate hikes

Powell said in prepared remarks delivered at a banking conference in Madrid that tougher regulations put in place after the 2007-2008 financial crisis have made large multinational banks much more resilient to widespread loan defaults, such as the bursting of the housing bubble that led to that crisis.

But the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and First Republic Bank exposed different vulnerabilities that the Fed will likely address through new proposals, Powell said.

He did not provide details, but other Fed officials have said banks should be required to hold more capital in reserve to guard against loan losses.

Such proposals are likely to face resistance from the banking industry and some congressional Republicans, who argue that the Fed had the necessary tools to prevent the bank collapses but failed to use them.

One reason regulators missed the threats to the three banks was "the natural human tendency to fight the last war," Powell said.

The 2008 financial crisis occurred because of widespread defaults after the housing bubble burst. But Silicon Valley Bank failed for different reasons: A rapid increase in interest rates sharply lowered the value of its bond holdings, because they paid out lower interest rates than newer bonds.

"These events suggest a need to strengthen our supervision and regulation of institutions of the size of SVB," Powell said. "I look forward to evaluating proposals for such changes and implementing them where appropriate."

In a question and answer session, he indicated that the rules needed to be updated to account for how quickly a bank run could happen.

"A bank run used to be people standing in line at an ATM," the Fed chief said. "That's very different from what we saw at Silicon Valley Bank," with depositors using smartphones to move money instantly.

Fed supervisors had spotted bank vulnerabilities, including exposure to rising rates, but were working within a system that moved too slowly to head off trouble, Powell said.

"The supervisors were on the right issues, but they were operating under a standard playbook where you escalate things fairly carefully, fairly slowly," he said.

An ongoing review of Fed supervision would "try to find ways to be more agile and, where appropriate, more forceful," Powell said.

Banks with $100 billion to $250 billion in assets — which included all three failed banks — were freed from some requirements in 2018 under legislation passed by Congress and rules issued by the Fed.

Last week, Powell faced significant pushback from Republicans during House and Senate hearings over the potential for tighter rules. Michael Barr, the Fed's top regulator, has said the central bank might require larger banks to hold more capital in reserve.

Yet GOP members of Congress charge that such requirements would limit banks' ability to lend and slow the economy.

Powell said during those hearings that a proposal might be issued next month. But he repeated Thursday that any new rules would require a public comment process and would be phased in over time, meaning they might not come into effect for several years.

"The bank runs and failures in 2023 ... were painful reminders that we cannot predict all of the stresses that will inevitably come with time and chance," Powell said. "We therefore must not grow complacent about the financial system's resilience."

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AP Business Writer David McHugh contributed from Frankfurt, Germany.

WASHINGTON —

There are two searing scenes of Nancy Pelosi confronting the violent extremism that spilled into the open late in her storied political career. In one, she's uncharacteristically shaken in a TV interview as she recounts the brutal attack on her husband.

In the other, the House speaker rips open a package of beef jerky with her teeth during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection, while on the phone with Mike Pence, instructing the Republican vice president how to stay safe from the mob that came for them both. "Don’t let anybody know where you are,” she said.

That Pelosi, composed and in command at a time of chaos, tart but proper at every turn, is the one whom lawmakers have obeyed, tangled with, respected and feared for two decades.

She is the most powerful woman in American politics and one of the most consequential legislative leaders. Now, at 82, in the face of political loss and personal trauma, she is closing her era.

Pelosi announced Thursday she would not seek a Democratic leadership position in the Congress that convenes in January, when Republicans take control. Pelosi will remain in Congress.

“Never would I have thought that I would go from homemaker to House speaker,” she allowed. On her future, she told reporters: "I like to dance, I like to sing. There’s a life out there, right?”

Polarizing and combative, Pelosi nevertheless forged compromises with Republicans on historic legislation, on health care, roads, student debt relief, climate change and more.

Even former Republican Speaker Newt Gingrich, a self-described “partisan conservative who thinks that most of her positions are insane,” said Pelosi had a “remarkable” run.

“Totally dominant,” Gingrich said of her. “She’s clearly one of the strongest speakers in history. She has shown enormous perseverance and discipline."

Bono, who worked with Pelosi over the years on combating AIDS, said in a statement to the AP after a performance Thursday night in Scotland: “When the story of the end of AIDS is written, Nancy Pelosi’s name will stand out in boldface.”

“I am honored to have learned so much from her grit and grace, and to call her a friend,” he added.

Many fellow Democrats, at one point or another, earned her look of icy disapproval, not just the other side.

“Politics is tough,” she said in 2015, “but intraparty? Oh, brother.”

Pelosi prevailed — for nearly 20 years as House Democratic leader including nearly eight as speaker in two stints — with hard-nosed sentiments like these:

“Whoever votes against the speaker will pay a price.” — to Democrats who resisted her push for a select committee on climate change early in her speakership.

“Nobody’s walking out of here saying anything, if they want to keep an intact neck.” — to negotiators trying to work out a 2007 House-Senate compromise to restrain pork, according to the notes of John A. Lawrence, her then-chief of staff and author of a new insider book on her speakership, “Arc of Power."

Sometimes, she could snap her lawmakers into line without a word.

A flick of her hand silenced Democrats who cheered when the House first passed articles of impeachment against Donald Trump, for Pelosi was a stickler for decorum. But not always.

She ripped her copy of Trump's 2020 State of the Union speech, on the dais behind him, on camera. The theatrical protest raised questions about whether Pelosi, in that moment, had become what she despised in Trump.

“He has shredded the truth in his speech, shredded the Constitution in his conduct — I shredded the address,” she said crisply. “Thank you all very much.”

Republicans pilloried her as “Darth Nancy” back in 2006 and the villainization got uglier, complete with gun imagery, as the years passed.

“She was, she is, the personification of the San Francisco liberal,” Lawrence said. “It was made to order for them."

But "there was a viciousness. The fact that she fit that bill so perfectly — a smart, attractive, effective woman ... they knew they could caricature and stigmatize things about her, her appearance and style, in a way that was a very effective dog whistle of misogyny.”

She would never publicly attribute the attacks to the fact she's a woman, Lawrence said. “She would say, ‘They did it because I’m effective.'" Then “pretend to flick dust” off her immaculate jacket.

“Darth Nancy” was a quaint, faraway insult by the time the pro-Trump mob came looking for her that Jan. 6. Their sign at the Capitol said, “Pelosi is Satan.”

Rifling through her desk, they found a pair of boxing gloves. Pink ones.

Pelosi honed the art of aiming high, then disappointing one faction of her party or another without losing core support. Rare is the major achievement that was as far left as the party's left wing wanted.

But many are the achievements. She settled for an “Obamacare” bill, for example, that did not give everyone the option of government health insurance, but did, over time, expand access to health care.

She crushed toes along the way.

“Her instincts are to find a path and if you happen to be standing in the hole, she’s going to treat you like a running back," said political scientist Cal Jillson at Southern Methodist University. "If she can go through you, fine. If not, you’re headed to the medicine tent.”

Pelosi faced none of the questions about sharpness that dog Biden, 80 on Sunday. She still races around Congress, in high heels, at a pace people half her age can find hard to match.

But concern had grown in the ranks about the crowd of older Democratic leaders still in charge.

Leon Panetta, former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton, said Pelosi “probably could have spent more time building a stronger bench in terms of leadership in the House and trying to make sure that others could follow in her path.”

Her fundraising prowess was one key to success.

“This is why the Democrats had more money than God," said Republican Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan. "She was magic, and I don’t think she lost a vote.”

AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that more U.S.-Russian prisoner exchanges are possible if Moscow and Washington find a compromise.

Putin spoke a day after Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout was swapped for WNBA star and two-time Olympian Brittney Griner.

Asked after a summit in Kyrgyzstan whether other prisoners could be swapped, Putin replied that "everything is possible," noting that "compromises have been found" that cleared the way for Thursday's exchange of Griner for Bout.

"We aren't refusing to continue this work in the future," the Russian leader said, making his first comments about the closely watched trade.

Despite negotiating for Griner's release, the most high-profile American jailed abroad, the U.S. failed to win freedom for another American, Paul Whelan. The Michigan corporate security executive has been imprisoned in Russia since December 2018 on espionage charges that his family and the U.S. government have said are baseless.

U.S. officials said they did not see an immediate path to bringing about Whelan's release, saying Russia has treated his case differently because of the "sham espionage" charges against him. Still, they said they believe communication channels with the Russians remain open for negotiations about his freedom.

US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said: "We registered what Mr. Putin said, let's see what he actually does."

Putin said the U.S.-Russia talks that resulted in Thursday's exchange didn't touch on other subjects.

"Whether this could set stage for a dialogue with the U.S. is a separate issue," he said. "We didn't set the task to move from those talks to something else, but they do create a certain atmosphere."

On a similar note, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was Russian and U.S. intelligence agencies that agreed to exchange Bout for Griner and their contacts were focused exclusively on hammering out its specifics.

"It has no impact on the overall state of bilateral ties that looks sad," Peskov said in televised remarks.

Peskov said that "special services may continue their work if necessary," and also noted the role of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in helping broker the swap.

Bout, dubbed the "Merchant of Death" who provided arms for some of the world's worst conflicts and spent over 14 years behind bars in the U.S., was seen in Russia as unjustly imprisoned after an overly aggressive U.S. sting operation.

Russian state media hailed his release, carrying footage of him talking to his family from a private jet following a swap at Abu Dhabi's airport and then embracing his wife and his mother on a snowy tarmac in Moscow.

Speaking in an interview for RT channel with Maria Butina, who also served 18 months in a U.S. prison after being convicted of acting as an unregistered foreign agent in the United States, Bout said he was still struggling to control his emotions after his imprisonment.

He charged that the West's long-held objective was to destroy Russia.

"The West believes that it has failed to finish us off when the Soviet Union began to collapse," Bout said. "And our efforts to live independently, be an independent power, is a shock to them."

BRAZOS COUNTY, Texas — A Texas man is moving to appeal his death sentence after stating that a Comedy Central special violated his constitutional rights to a fair and speedy trial.

Grabiel Hall, 29, is set to face lethal injection after being convicted of murder in Texas' Brazos Valley.

Hall's legal team is now arguing that footage from a special on the television comedy network was later used to influence the sentencing of their client.

On October 10, 2011, Hall entered a residence where he is said to have fatally stabbed and shot a 68-year-old male. He was also convicted of stabbing the victim's 69-year-old wife, who survived the attack.

Hall was a student at A&M Consolidated High School in Texas at the time.

While Hall was serving time in jail, comedian Jeff Ross filmed a special featuring the maximum-security areas of the facility, including Hall's unit where he was being held.

Ross can be seen in the segment conversing with inmates in the segment called, "Jeff Ross roasts criminals: Live at Brazos County Jail."

Hall's legal team is claiming that additional footage, outside that televised segment, was later presented to a Texas jury before they deliberated, and he was handed a death sentence.

His legal team is now taking the case to the Texas Supreme Court, alleging that the evidence should be thrown out because it violates Hall's Sixth Amendment rights.

The team's decision comes after the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied a previous appeal.

This story was originally published by KXXV in Waco, Texas; with additions from Scripps National News.

President Joe Biden, after returning this week to a politically reshaped Washington, will join top Republican officials to herald his infrastructure law as he seeks out bipartisan cooperation in a new era of divided government.

Wednesday's event in Kentucky, which will include Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, is meant to underscore the importance of the massive public works package Biden signed into law in 2021. The area, across the Ohio state line from Cincinnati, is home to the Brent Spence Bridge -- long an illustration of the nation's crumbling infrastructure that is due to receive funding from the law for repairs.

For Biden, however, perhaps more important than the law itself will be the show of cooperation between Republicans and Democrats as he looks ahead to a contentious second half of his term and the likely start of a reelection bid.

As he wound down his winter vacation here on Sunday, the president voiced optimism for the coming year.

"Good year next year," he said as he departed Mass at a local Catholic church, giving a thumbs up. "Looking forward to it."

It was a characteristically optimistic outlook for the president, who enters 2023 having defied projections of a midterm wipeout but still facing a new political reality in Congress.

As Republicans prepare to assume control of the U.S. House of Representatives, Biden is hoping to demonstrate his willingness to work across the aisle, even as GOP lawmakers threaten to stymie his legislative ambitions and barrage the White House with oversight investigations.

The president and his team hope the comparison will prove advantageous as Americans look to Washington for steps to ease economic hardships. Over the coming weeks, Biden is expected to reiterate his bipartisan achievements in stops around the country as the Republican majority begins its work, culminating in his yearly State of the Union address.

At his stop along the Ohio-Kentucky border on Wednesday, he'll also be joined by Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, along with two Democrats: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio.

A number of Cabinet officials also plan to travel later this week to promote the infrastructure law. Vice President Kamala Harris will stop in Chicago and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will visit New London, Connecticut. They will "discuss how the President's economic plan is rebuilding our infrastructure, creating good-paying jobs -- jobs that don't require a four-year degree, and revitalizing communities left behind," a White House official said.

Biden has spent much of his tenure so far in pursuit of bipartisan legislation, finding success in the infrastructure package along with measures bolstering the U.S. microchip industry, providing funding for Ukraine and guaranteeing health coverage for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits.

Hope among Democrats at finding areas of agreement with the Republican Congress has been slim, though on certain areas -- including China and, to a certain extent, Ukraine -- they have been guardedly optimistic.

In other areas, including spending bills and the looming debt ceiling deadline, aides in both parties are bracing for high-stakes standoffs.

Yet at Biden's direction, White House officials have quietly engaged in early-stage preparations for the new reality on Capitol Hill, homing in on two key groups as they search for issues that can draw bipartisan support: moderate Republicans with a proven track record of working across the aisle and the incoming class of freshmen Republicans who flipped districts Biden won two years earlier.

Those lawmakers will make up the core of any White House effort to secure the bipartisan wins that officials said Biden is interested in pursuing in the two years ahead. They will also be key to any White House hopes of scuttling Republican bills in the House and attempts to squeeze House GOP leadership on key issues.

White House officials are also closely watching the race among Republicans to elect a new House speaker. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, had long been expected to be elevated to the role, but he remains locked in an intraparty battle to consolidate support. Biden spoke to McCarthy by phone shortly after the midterm election and the California Republican was one of four leaders to meet with Biden at the White House a few weeks later.

McCarthy, after the meeting, told reporters he "can work with anyone," but noted the new Republican majority in the House clinched in the midterms signaled that "America likes a check and balance."

Looming over the president's efforts at working with Republicans will be his decision on mounting a reelection bid for the White House. Biden has stated repeatedly he intends to run again but said before his vacation this week to the U.S. Virgin Islands he would consult with family members over the holidays.

As he finalizes his decision, work has been underway to build a campaign to be ready when the president announces his intentions. Many Democrats close to Biden say they are convinced he will run again, and there appears to be little dissent within his family.

There was little public evidence of intensive family discussions this week on St. Croix. Biden left his rental home on the eastern end of the island to golf, eat dinner, go to church and tape an appearance on Ryan Seacrest's New Year's Eve broadcast, but otherwise remained out of view. After much local speculation, he and his family decided to forgo a sunrise hike on New Year's Day to Point Udall -- billed as the easternmost point in the United States.

Instead, Biden appeared to have spent the week in intensive relaxation with his wife, children and grandchildren, perhaps lightly peppered with a few conversations about the year ahead.

As he was departing dinner just past 9 p.m. one evening, he was asked whether he'd discussed his 2024 plans with his family.

"There's an election coming up?" he asked, smiling. "I didn't know that."

Someone in Washington state overcame steep odds Monday night to win an estimated $747 million Powerball jackpot.

The winning numbers were 05, 11, 22, 23, 69 and the Powerball 07.

Lottery officials did not immediately make an announcement of a winner, but the Powerball website says there was a jackpot winner in Washington state. The site also says the jackpot for the next drawing on Thursday has dropped to $20 million.

It was the first Powerball jackpot win since Nov. 19, 2022. That winless streak allowed the prize to grow larger and larger until it stood as the ninth-largest in U.S. history.

The $747 million jackpot Monday is for a winner opting for an annuity paid over 29 years. Higher interest rates have allowed annuity payments to increase compared with earlier jackpots, when rates were lower.

Most winners prefer cash, which for Monday night's drawing would be $403.1 million.

The game's abysmal odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to build big prizes drawing more players. That strategy certainly has worked recently, as someone in Maine won a $1.35 billion Mega Millions prize in January and a California player hit a record $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot last November. No one has claimed either of those prizes.

Powerball is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

U.S. President Joe Biden underwent a routine physical on Thursday at Walter Reed National Military Center.

White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor released details of the physical which was presented to the public.

In the report, Dr. O'Connor said the president "remains fit for duty, and fully executes all of his responsibilities without any exemptions or accommodations."

The report listed medications the president takes and said that he continues to exercise five days per week.

He is taking at least five medications and is being treated for things like mild sensory peripheral neuropathy of the feet, stiffened gait, seasonal allergies, gastroesophageal reflux and hyperlipidemia.

The Lincoln Memorial will be getting a $69 million upgrade.

According to the National Park Service, a 15,000 square feet exhibit will be created underneath the Lincoln Memorial to tell a "more complete story" of its history.

“The undercroft of the Lincoln Memorial, long hidden from public view, offers a fascinating setting to learn more about America’s 16^th president and the memorial that honors him,” Jeff Reinbold, superintendent of National Mall and Memorial Parks, said. “Thanks to the National Park Foundation and its generous donors, visitors will be able to view this dramatic architectural feature, learn about the how the memorial was built and how its meaning has evolved over the last century.”

The National Parks Service says the exhibit will feature an immersive theater presentation with projected images of historic events onto the foundations.

“Improving the visitor experience at the Lincoln Memorial is vitally important to connecting Americans to the rich history of our country, the triumphs, the failures, and the lessons learned,” said David M. Rubenstein, who donated $18.5 million for the project.

The memorial will remain open during the construction. However, the basement area exhibits will close this spring.

The new exhibit is scheduled to open in March 2026.

NEW YORK —

The historic indictment of former President Donald Trump thrust the 2024 presidential election into uncharted territory, raising the remarkable prospect that the leading contender for the Republican nomination will seek the White House while also facing trial for criminal charges in New York.

In an acknowledgment of the sway the former president holds with the voters who will decide the GOP contest next year, those eyeing a primary challenge to Trump were quick to criticize the indictment. Without naming Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called the move "un-American." Former Vice President Mike Pence, whose life was threatened after Trump incited an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, told CNN the charges were "outrageous."

Video above: Former Vice President Mike Pence was among the lawmakers from both sides of the aisle who reacted to the indictment.

That posture speaks to the short-term incentives for Republicans to avoid anything that might antagonize Trump's loyal base. But the indictment raises profound questions for the GOP's future, particularly as Trump faces the possibility of additional charges soon in Atlanta and Washington. While that might galvanize his supporters, the turmoil could threaten the GOP's standing in the very swing-state suburbs that have abandoned the party in three successive elections, eroding its grip on the White House, Congress and key governorships.

Trump has spent four decades managing to skirt this type of legal jeopardy and expressed confidence again late Thursday, blaming the charges on "Thugs and Radical Left Monsters."

"THIS IS AN ATTACK ON OUR COUNTRY THE LIKES OF WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE," Trump wrote on his social media site.

Trump is "ready to fight," his attorney, Joe Tacopina, said on Fox News.

Trump is expected to surrender to authorities next week on charges connected to hush money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to women who alleged extramarital sexual encounters. For now, it remains unclear how the development will resonate with voters. Polls show Trump remains the undisputed frontrunner for the Republican nomination, and his standing has not faltered, even amid widespread reporting on the expected charges.

Trump's campaign and his allies have long hoped an indictment would serve as a rallying cry for his supporters, angering his "Make America Great Again" base, drawing small dollar donations and forcing Trump's potential rivals into the awkward position of having to defend him — or risk their wrath.

Indeed, Trump's campaign began fundraising off the news almost immediately after it broke, firing an email to supporters with the all-caps subject line "BREAKING: PRESIDENT TRUMP INDICTED."

At Trump's first rally of the 2024 campaign, held in Texas over the weekend, supporters expressed widespread disgust with the investigation and insisted the case wouldn't affect his chances.

"It's a joke," Patti Murphy, 63, of Fort Worth, Texas said. "It's just another way of them trying to get him out of their way."

Others in the crowd said their support for Trump had been waning since he left the White House, but the looming indictment made them more likely to support him in 2024 because they felt his anger had been justified.

Video below: Trump supporters gather at Mar-a-Lago after indictment

At the same time, there is little chance a criminal trial will help Trump in a general election, particularly with independents, who have grown tired of his constant chaos. That has provided an opening for alternatives like DeSantis, who are expected to paint themselves as champions of the former president's policies, but without all his baggage.

But there were no immediate signs the party was ready to use the indictment to move past him. Instead, Republicans, including members of Congress and Trump's rivals, rushed to his defense en masse. In addition to DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who has already declared her candidacy, blasted the indictment as "more about revenge than it is about justice." Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is mulling a run, accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of "undermining America's confidence in our legal system," while also sending a fundraising text off the news.

Trump, meanwhile, has tried to turn the public against the case. Early on March 18, amid reports that police in New York were preparing for a possible indictment, he fired off a message on his social media site in which he declared that he expected to be arrested within days.

While that never came to pass (and his aides made clear it had not been based on any inside information), Trump used the time to highlight the case's widely-discussed weaknesses and to attack Bragg with a barrage of deeply personal — and at times racist — attacks.

Trump also sought to project an air of strength. The night of his post, he traveled with aides to a college wrestling championship, where he spent hours greeting supporters and posing for photos. On the way home, the assembled entourage watched mixed martial arts cage fighting aboard his plane.

And last weekend, Trump held a rally in Waco, Texas, where he railed against the case in front of thousands of supporters.

People who have spoken with Trump in recent weeks have described him as both angry and unbothered about the prospect of charges. Freshman Republican Rep. Mark Alford of Missouri said Trump was "upbeat" at a fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago the night before he warned of his arrest.

Indeed, Trump has at times appeared in denial about the gravity of the situation. He and his aides were caught off-guard by the news Thursday. And during the plane ride home from his Texas rally, Trump told reporters he believed the case had been dropped.

"I have no idea what's going to happen, but I can tell you that they have no case. So I think the case is — I think they've already dropped the case, from what I understand. I think it's been dropped," he said.

Still, Trump responded with anger when pressed, even as he insisted he was not frustrated.

Video below: The indictment in New York is from one of three known investigations linked to Donald Trump

Beyond the Manhattan case, Trump is facing several other investigations, including a Georgia inquiry into his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election and a federal probe into his alleged mishandling of classified documents.

It remains unclear how the public might respond if Trump ends up facing charges in additional cases, particularly if some lead to convictions and others are dismissed.

An indictment — or even a conviction — would not bar Trump from running for president or serving as the Republican nominee.

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Associated Press writers Paul Weber in Waco, Texas, and Lisa Mascaro in Orlando contributed to this report.

A ban on dozens of semi-automatic rifles cleared the Washington state Legislature on Wednesday and the governor is expected to sign it into law.

High-powered firearms — once banned nationwide — are now the weapon of choice among young men responsible for most of the country’s devastating mass shootings.

The ban comes after multiple failed attempts in the Legislature and in a year that has seen the most mass shootings during the first 100 days of a calendar year since 2009.

The law would cover more than 50 gun models, including AR-15s, AK-47s and similar-style rifles, which fire one bullet per trigger pull and automatically reload for a subsequent shot. The bill bans their future sale, distribution, manufacture and importation, although some exemptions are included for sales to law enforcement agencies and the military in Washington.

The law would go into effect immediately once it's signed by Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, who has long advocated for such a ban. When the measure passed the state House in March Inslee said he’s believed in it since 1994 when, as a member of the U.S. Congress, he voted to make it a federal law.

“We refuse to accept gun violence as normal. Gun violence, in all its forms, can be prevented,” Inslee tweeted after the legislation first passed the Senate, thanking the Democratic lawmakers who control both chambers.

A weapons ban is far off in the U.S. Congress. But President Joe Biden and other Democrats have become increasingly emboldened in pushing for stronger gun controls — and doing so with no clear electoral consequences.

Nine states including California, New York and Massachusetts, along with the District of Columbia, have already passed similar bans, and the laws have been upheld as constitutional by the courts, according to Washington's Attorney General Bob Ferguson.

When Biden and other lawmakers talk about “assault weapons,” they are using an inexact term to describe a group of high-powered guns or semi-automatic long rifles, like an AR-15, that can fire 30 rounds quickly without reloading. By comparison, New York Police Department officers carry a handgun that shoots about half that much.

During the debate on the Washington state bill, Democrats spoke of frequent mass shootings that have killed people in churches, nightclubs, grocery stores and schools. Sen. Liz Lovelett of Anacortes said that kids' concerns about school shootings need to be addressed.

“They are marching in the streets. They are asking for us to take action,” Lovelett said. “We have to be able to give our kids reasons to feel hopeful.”

Republican state lawmakers opposed the ban, with some contending school shootings should be addressed by remodeling buildings to make them less appealing as targets and others saying it infringes on people's rights to defend themselves.

“HB 1240 clearly violates our state and federal constitutions, which is why it will end up in court immediately,” Sen. Lynda Wilson of Vancouver said.

Some gun-control legislation in other states has been struck down since last year’s landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling, which set new standards for reviewing the nation’s gun laws. The ruling says the government must justify gun control laws by showing they are “consistent with the Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.”

Washington's ban was part of a gun legislation package proposed by Inslee and the state attorney general. The other two bills approved by the Legislature this session include a 10-day waiting period for gun purchases and a bill that would hold gunmakers liable for negligent sales.

The first would allow people whose family members die from gun violence to sue if a manufacturer or seller “is irresponsible in how they handle, store or sell those weapons.” Under the state’s consumer-protection act, the attorney general could file a lawsuit against manufacturers or sellers for negligently allowing their guns to be sold to minors, or to people buying guns legally in order to sell them to someone who can’t lawfully have them.

The second bill would require gun buyers to show they've taken safety training. It would also impose a 10-day waiting period for all gun purchases — something that's already mandatory in Washington when buying a semi-automatic rifle.

Biden signed a sweeping bipartisan gun law last summer, the most significant legislative response to gun violence in decades. The U.S. Congress had imposed restrictions on the manufacture and sale of semi-automatic rifles in 1994 but allowed the restrictions to expire a decade later, lacking the votes to counter the powerful gun lobby.